“Every child should go to a school where they are free to be themselves, free to make friends, free to explore their talents.” Bridget Phillipson – Secretary of State for Education.
I agree with this statement made by the Secretary of State. As a Headteacher, I wanted every child to succeed, but always knew they would do so in different ways. I was in secondary education, so children joining my school had experienced seven years of schooling. Last year, I had the privilege of helping Lauren, my PA, to choose a primary school for her nearly 5-year-old twins – Charlie and Rose. Two happy, but very different children – in many ways stereotypical of their genders.
The first task was for Lauren and her partner to decide what they wanted from any school. Happiness, safety, challenge and opportunity featured. For Lauren, she wanted the twins to be in different classes – not always easy to achieve with so many primaries being one-form of entry. I noted that the Mums at the same kindergarten had a network of information, a fellow shopper at the local supermarket was very clear as to the best school. We checked websites and Ofsted reports – I confess I did not place great store on the Ofsted reports. For me, it was looking around the different schools and deciding based on what we saw. We wanted to see teachers working with their pupils and get a feel of the relationships. We wanted to see happy children.
The visits were mixed. In a couple of schools, we did not feel particularly welcome. We know schools are busy places, but this is an important decision for parents. In a couple of schools, displays were poor and even worse, the buildings looked like they needed refurbishment. One school stood out, because the children were fully engaged in their work; they had smiles on their faces, and they were being challenged. The Head of School knew the names of the pupils and was passionate and articulate about the opportunities for the pupils. A parent asked if the school prepared children to take the 11+ examination – “No, we prepare them for something more important – LIFE” was the response.
Amazingly the twins were admitted to the school – I could write about admission policies but will leave that to another day. The first experience for the twins was a three-hour induction. Charlie, who had cried every day going to kindergarten, hovered on the doorstep crying. The Head of School picked him up and took him to his new classroom. Rose had sailed in – happily giving her name and form. Five minutes after getting home, Lauren had a phone call from the Head of School telling her Charlie was exploring the classroom and she was not to worry. Both children came out saying how much they enjoyed the time.
The school communicates clearly and frequently with parents. Expectations are clear. September came and the twins started their journey in separate classrooms with no tears from either of them. At half term, we took them to Woolacombe and they told us about their classmates and demonstrated what they learned. A parents meeting explained the progress of the children. They were sad when term ended – they had enjoyed participating in the nativity plays. Amid the Christmas celebrations, they talked about school and could not wait for the new term to start. At the end of the first week, Rose was awarded Star of the Week – she was thrilled. She rang everyone she knew to tell them, including a message for my dog. The photograph below shows a very happy Rose.
Lessons from this experience
- Choosing a school is a big decision for parents – they must be partners in their children’s education.
- You can produce glossy brochures, but it is the perceived reality expressed through informal parent and other stakeholders networks.
- Communication is critical – not too much to overwhelm the parents, but enough to engage them.
- Curriculum planning and pedagogy are critical in engaging the pupils. We are working in a time when attendance figures are poor – engaged, happy children want to go to school.
- In just one term, we have seen how the children are learning to learn. Primary schools are providing the foundations that secondary schools need to build on. Partnerships with local primaries is critical. In secondary schools taking pupils from a wide range of primaries, need to know the strengths and weaknesses of every pupil. Transition is critical – why have secondary schools not perfected this? More on transition later.
